Chapter 27: Tempering Soul Power

Returning to the inn in Stone Desert City, Wei Yang greeted Ye Xian'er and then went straight to his room to rest. 

For the kind of soul power depletion he had experienced, it was best to recover through sleep rather than meditation and cultivation. 

The next morning, Wei Yang woke up looking refreshed. Not only had his depleted soul power recovered, but it had also slightly improved. Clearly, in the process of depletion and recovery, his soul power had grown. 

It reminded him of the time when his soul power had been devoured by that mysterious black iron scroll and then restored. No wonder alchemists had strong soul power; their frequent concoction processes significantly trained their soul power. 

Alchemy required the consumption of both Dou Qi and a large amount of soul power. This process of depletion and recovery naturally led to a gradual increase in soul power. 

...

At the breakfast table, Wei Yang watched Xian'er, who was eating small bites of breakfast next to him, and felt a twinge of heartache. After all, though she was at the Dou Grandmaster level, her Dou Qi was of a poison attribute, somewhat incompatible with the scorching desert environment. 

Among many attributes, fire attributes were most antagonistic to poison. Specially, Heavenly Flames were nemeses to poison attributes, diminishing their power. 

However, there was no absolute; for example, the Netherworld Poison Flame, ranked twentieth on the Heavenly Flames list, was a unique flame formed from the poison attribute. 

In the future, he could plan for Xian'er to consume the Netherworld Poison Flame to prevent being restrained by Heavenly Flames, enhancing her attack methods and power. 

The Netherworld Poison Flame and the Terrifying Poison Body were a perfect match. 

"The Netherworld Poison Marsh in the Cloud Empire!" Wei Yang thought to himself. This was the most likely place where the Netherworld Poison Flame existed. In the future, when he had time, he could take Xian'er to find it. 

There was also a saying that the Netherworld Poison Flame could replace the Poison Pill method, allowing perfect control over the Terrifying Poison Body. Though he wasn't sure if it was true, it likely wasn't groundless. Even if it didn't work, it could significantly delay the full eruption of the Terrifying Poison Body, possibly extending it to the Dou Venerate period. 

As these thoughts quickly flashed through his mind, Wei Yang set them aside for later and stopped thinking about them. 

After breakfast, he watched Xian'er, who had packed up and was ready to go. 

"Xian'er, maybe you shouldn't come with me this time. You could wait for me at the inn," Wei Yang suggested. 

Xian'er was initially stunned by his words, then rushed into Wei Yang's arms, shaking her head, "No, I want to go with you. Don't think about leaving me behind." 

Wei Yang was at a loss, rubbing her little head and said with a smile, "Am I leaving you behind? I'll leave in the morning and return by dusk. The Heavenly Flame might not be easy to find, it may take many days." 

"I don't care, I want to go with you," Xian'er held onto Wei Yang tightly. 

"Silly girl, I'm worried about you," Wei Yang said gently, "Your poison attribute might be suppressed in the desert's heat during the day. Haven't you felt that in the past few days?" 

"I have felt it, it's a bit uncomfortable," Xian'er raised her small head, looked seriously at Wei Yang, and said, "But, I want to get used to this environment so that I can adapt quickly when encountered again."

"I want to help you in the future, not just hide behind you and be a burden."

"I understand," Wei Yang said with a smile, filled with tenderness, as he gently pecked her rosy little mouth, tasting a sweet, soft flavor. 

Ye Xian'er's body trembled, a blush and happiness spread across her face as she shyly buried her head in his chest, exclaiming, "You big meanie, you only know how to bully me."

"Haha," Wei Yang laughed heartily, feeling cheerful as he took her out. 

Letting the little girl follow and endure some hardship might be good, considered as training. After all, she shouldn't end up being pampered and wasted by him. 

...

Time passed. 

Half a month later. 

Wei Yang stood with his eyes closed at the base of a sand dune, powerful soul power condensed into strands, probing deep underground. 

Through the continuous honing during this period, his soul power grew significantly. Compared to twenty days ago when he first arrived in Stone Desert City, it had strengthened by at least forty percent, becoming more condensed. 

This was a rare feat, making him overjoyed. Thus, he wasn't in a hurry anymore, choosing to relax and diligently train his soul power every day. 

After all, the growth of soul power was challenging. Besides some special natural treasures, it largely depended on the enhancement of one's strength level and the slow accumulation of time. 

Now, with this opportunity and having found such a good method to boost soul power, he wouldn't let the chance slip. 

Of course, this growth wasn't endless. 

As soul power gradually adapted to this training and environment, he could clearly feel in the past two days that the growth speed was beginning to slow down. 

But Wei Yang didn't mind, having already been prepared. 

After all, over the years, this was the first time he actively honed his soul power; it's normal for the growth to be swift initially. 

However, this growth must have a limit, it couldn't continue indefinitely. 

Being able to increase by forty percent was already very rare. 

"Judging by the current growth rate, when this training is completely over, my soul power should be able to increase by another ten percent. By then, wouldn't my soul power rival an average Dou Ancestor level expert?!" Wei Yang thought to himself. 

Currently, he was just a one-star Dou Spirit, yet his soul power could match an average Dou Ancestor expert, which was quite frightening. 

The benefits of powerful soul power, naturally, need no further explanation. 

Besides perception and strong intuition among others, the most crucial aspect was comprehension! 

A strong soul inevitably leads to an increased level of comprehension. 

For ordinary warriors, low to mid-tier Xuan class techniques and skills were very precious. 

But to a Dou Ancestor level expert, creating such techniques might be effortless, only requiring some time. 

Besides their cultivation level being at that tier, it was also due to the experts having powerful soul strength, thereby naturally increasing their comprehension abilities.

...

Not far on the sand dune, a figure in white was seated quietly, eyes closed in cultivation, with a dedicated look on her small face. 

It was Ye Xian'er. 

Having decided to train her, Wei Yang would not be perfunctory but take it seriously. 

At this moment, Ye Xian'er, in the scorching environment, continually circulated her own Dou Qi, compressing and condensing it over and over. 

In this environment, the operation of poison Dou Qi was suppressed by the surroundings. 

However, it was precisely this suppression that allowed the poison Dou Qi to undergo excellent training. 

As time went on, it became purer and more condensed. 

During this process, Xian'er's control over her Dou Qi became more adept, allowing her to handle it at will.

...

Time passed. 

Another seven days later. 

Standing on a sand dune with his eyes closed, Wei Yang suddenly opened his eyes excitedly and grinned, "After almost a month of searching, I finally found it. Buried deep underground, filled with fire attribute energy, is the Magma Core!" 

"This is where the Green Lotus Core Flame is born!" 

Retracting his soul power, Wei Yang habitually rubbed his temples; although he looked slightly fatigued, it wasn't severe. 

Compared to nearly a month ago, his soul power had increased by about fifty percent, becoming more concentrated. 

Overall, it had more than doubled in strength than a month before. 

Now, his soul power wasn't much weaker than that of an average Dou Ancestor level expert. 

Looking down at the sand dune beneath his feet, he smiled. 

The Green Lotus Core Flame was finally found.